West Sussex creates 'academy' to support new social workers

The academy is set to cost around £500,000 and will provide “enhanced support in a more structured environment” for social workers in their first year of practice, a West Sussex Council report says.

It aims to better prepare newly qualified children’s social workers for their career and help ensure they stay with the council long-term rather than leave due to work pressures.

The council has also restructured its social work team to ensure that more experienced social workers are on hand to deal with complex cases. The new hierarchy includes a service leader, group managers, practice managers and advanced practitioners.

Avril Wilson, the council’s executive director of care, wellbeing and education, and director of family operations Annie MacIver, say the changes are needed to improve retention among social workers.

In a report to the council’s children and young people’s services select committee the two senior officers say: “Current data indicates that social workers who leave certain key areas refer to excess work pressures and poor work/life balance within exit interviews.”

Lack of administrative support was cited as another factor in staff leaving. As a result the council has invested £592,000 this year in additional support staff.

The funding for the additional administrative investment is initially for one year, but a business case estimates the move could save the council £2m a year.

It is hoped the changes will free up social workers to spend more time with families, increase family resilience and outcomes for vulnerable children and reduce the number of child protection plans and referrals.

The council also hopes the move will boost its children’s services Ofsted rating to “good”.

The council’s current safeguarding services Ofsted rating of “adequate” – delivered in April 2013 before the introduction of the inspectorate’s new grading system – followed a period of turmoil for its child protection team when in 2009 and 2011 it was issued with improvement notices after inspectors found it was performing poorly.